Amazon.com (News - Alert) and U.K.’s Lovefilm will show their customers 14 TV pilots to let users decide which adult and children’s shows to add to their lineups, according to news reports.

Viewers get to critique each of the shows – and that way the most promising pilots will be turned into a series of programs based on the viewers’ comments.

The move is “democratizing a process that was once reserved for a rarefied group of network executives,” explained The Los Angeles Times.

"We're looking for distinctive shows that people get really attached to and love," Amazon Studios director Roy Price told The LA Times. "In the digital, on-demand world, you really have to have that passionate fan base, because there are no hammock shows, there's no 8:30 show, [to bring viewers]. It's important to reach out to customers on a large scale and see what they're interested in."

The 14 shows are produced by Amazon Studios. They include eight comedies for adults and six animated shows for children.

Some of the shows include a sitcom called "Browsers" about young adults working at a news website, and, "Alpha House," a comedy about Senators who live together in a rented house in Washington, D.C. Another show is “Zombieland," which is about four survivors who try “to outwit the undead,” the LA Times said.

Not everyone is in favor of the approach. Toby Syfret, an analyst for Enders Analysis, called it a "gimmick."

"I think the success of this will have a huge amount to do with the publicity they can get for it," Syfret told the BBC.

Amazon.com is trying to please customers in other ways, too. Amazon.com – and Walmart.com – are placing delivery lockers in pharmacies, supermarkets and convenience stores to ensure quicker access to orders that were made online, TMCnet said.